songbird's crazy world

New York City Center has a series called "Encores", in which they present concert versions of Broadway musicals.  It's a whirlwind -- 8 days of rehearsal, 5 days of performances, and the actors are allowed to take the stage with their scripts in hand.  The focus in on the music -- there might be choreography, props, some scenery and suggestions of costumes, but the music, presented by a full orchestra, is the most important aspect of the show. The current "Encore" production is 1776. Two passions that Drew and I share -- American history and Broadway musicals.  And those passions come together in the musical 1776 .  We've watched the movie dozens of times.  We each saw the Broadway revival starring Brent Spiner back in the late 1990's.  And Drew played the role of John Adams in a high school production of the show. So you can imagine our excitement.  Of course we got tickets.  So the orchestra is set up at the back of the stage, the acto...

I need the money.  I need lots of money so I can go to the auction and bid on an item that I really, really, really want. The jersey Mike Piazza wore on 9/21/01 at Shea Stadium. Yes, THAT jersey.  Yes, THAT night.  The first baseball game played in NYC after 9/11.  Sold out crowd at Shea Stadium.  The Mets wearing the caps of NYC's first responders.  Liza Minelli singing "New York, New York".  And Piazza hit a 2-run homer, resulting in a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.  “I think it’s the most memorable home run in Mets history,” said Ken Goldin, president of Goldin Auctions. “Everybody was a Mets fan that day. Everyone was rooting for New York that day.” Mike Piazza jersey worn after 9/11 attacks up for auction

March winds bring April showers, April showers bring May flowers.... Yes, it's very, very windy out there right now.  When I say "I'm blown away", I mean that literally --- I was actually pushed along by the wind last night. But I am already starting to look forward to May.  Yesterday Drew told me he won two tickets to a Mets game at Citi Field  May 2.   Usually we don't like going to a game that early in the season, the weather can be iffy. Seats are way out along the third base line, so far out we can practically touch the home run apple.  But we'll dress for the weather and I'm sure we will have a great time. And we're picking out our tickets for this year's Long Island Ducks games.  Last year the goal was to see one game with each of the other 7 teams in the league.  We're going to try to do that again this year, making sure each game we see is either a fireworks night or some sort of promotional giveaway -- I love my  fre...

So our "civilized" IMAX experience involved Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Just as a background note, we saw Man of Steel three years ago, but I had no recollection of that movie when we saw Dawn of Justice the other night.   I caught Man of Steel on TV last night, and now things in the new movie make sense. Movies based on DC comics tend to be darker, more brooding  than those based on Marvel comics, and this movie is no exception.  The movie opens with the battle scenes from Man of Steel, where Superman takes on and defeats General Zod.  But the battle is seen from Bruce Wayne/Batman's perspective, in the street and trying to rescue his employees as the world collapses around them.  From there we see how Bruce Wayne considers Superman to be a dangerous and unpredictable alien force, and how Clark Kent views Batman as a "loose cannon" vigilante.  the real villain, of course, is Lex Luthor, played by one of my favorite actors, Jesse E...

So it used to be that when you went to the movies, you'd buy a ticket, walk into the theater and choose your seat. Which meant, for blockbuster movies, that you had to get to the theater very early and stand on line forever to get good seats.  And then watch all the latecomers try to find seats.  It can get a bit...spirited. And then we noticed that some movie theaters were installing recliners instead of regular theater seats.  You pick your assigned seat when you purchase your ticket. But we like to see those special-effects heavy blockbusters in IMAX, and none of the IMAX theaters had assigned seating. Until now. Well, they're not recliners per se, but they are comfortable, padded armchairs.  We bought our tickets on line the night before, selected our seats. What a civilized experience!

The Rabbi pins the black ribbon onto Les' clothing, tears it, and recites the ancient Hebrew blessing.  Our small group make its way into the open-air chapel, decorated only with the seals of each branch of the US military forces.  It is a gray and chilly day, but the walls of the chapel provide protection from the wind. The Naval honor guard -- two women in dress blues -- enters the chapel.  One flips a switch, and the sound of "Taps" fills the air.  They remove the flag from the coffin, fold it with military precision.    The taller woman presents the flag to Les, her voice soft and empathetic as she conveys the respects of the President of the United States.  Another member of the Greatest Generation, his service was 70 years ago, but was oh so important to him. Then the Rabbi intones the ancient prayers, and I let the Hebrew wash over me...I didn't expect to be here today, I expected to be in synagogue, celebrating the happy holiday of Purim......

So, I was listening to Scott Shannon on the oldies station the other day, and he played Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". OMG, 80's music on an oldies station.  I'm still trying to get used to that.  The 80's was the decade in which I came of age; my milestones included graduating from college and then law school, starting my career, moving out of my parents house, getting engaged and then getting married. And Scott Shannon was the DJ who introduced me to that song, and to most of the best music of the 80's.  That was in the days of the "Z Morning Zoo", a then-new and innovative morning show format, back when I was young and cool and listened to Z 100.  WHTZ's Moring Zoo, coming to you from the top of the Empire State Building.  I've ceded Z 100 to my children, and I listen to Scott on WCBS-FM these days. But the exciting news....Scott is doing a Z 100 reunion show on April 1st.  No, it's not a joke.  Ross Brittain, ...

When the phone rings at 5:30 in the morning, it's usually not good news.  Marvin has passed away.

As we walk into the room, I glance out the window. I can see the Great South Bay, its waters dark and foreboding. My mind flashes back to Jones Beach, to the brisk walk on Friday, how I'd rather be there than here. I'd rather be almost anywhere but in this room, at this moment, with these sad relatives. I turn and look at Marvin. He is thin...no, emaciated. Skeletal. A darkness hangs in this room, darker even than the sea waters beyond the window. He recognizes us as we come into the room, whispers a barely-audible greeting before drifting off into the fog of his own mind. And I am overwhelmed with feelings. I walk out of the room, lean against the corridor wall as I try to catch my breath, before fleeing to the lobby to compose myself. I have spent far too much time in hospitals of late. When I return, the doctor is speaking with Drew. Palliative care. Morphine. Hospice. The words I knew we would hear, yet so painful. A Muslim doctor in a Catholic hospital ...

Drew's uncle is not doing well at all. He's back at the hospital.  And the doctors are not hopeful about his condition. We will be going to see him tomorrow afternoon. Drew needs to see him, and to talk with the medical team, so that he is equipped to make some hard decisions. It's sad.

Last night I went to a political fundraiser.  One of my neighbors, a member of my synagogue, is running for Congress.  He's been our county legislator for 10 years, he's well known in our town and county.  But the congressional district spans two counties, so he's got to work on name recognition before the primary in June.  His opponents are all from the other county. Of course I made a donation.  And today I signed up to work on his campaign.  I'm hoping that he'll win the primary and go on to the general election.

The news was there, in my Facebook feed.  I saw it during my lunch hour. A post from one of my friends from synagogue.  A photo of one of our mutual friends, with the simple caption: Goodbye, Lisa. Did that mean what I thought it meant? I checked my e-mail, and sure enough, there was a notice from the synagogue that Lisa had passed away. And I cried. I won't pretend that Lisa and I were the best of friends.  We weren't.  In fact, I don't think I've even spoken to her in about 3 years.  Our friendship was very casual, built mostly on membership in the synagogue and having children the same age.  My daughter Jen and her daughter Rebecca were in the same class in Hebrew school, and were friends at day camp; the later attended the same college. Her son Matthew is just a little bit younger than my daughter Becca.  When our daughters drifted in different directions, so did we. But there was a time, about 10 or 11 years ago, when we bonded ov...

So, with all my recent posts about Weight Watchers and Planet Fitness...you may be wondering... I have had a weight issue my entire adult life.  I was overweight in college.  I was overweight when I got married.  I gained a ton of weight when I was pregnant.  In 2005 I had a very serious health issue, and afterwards I joined Weight Watchers and lost 70 pounds.  I was still far away from my goal weight, but I felt good. Until I stopped following the plan.  And regained all of it back, and more.  If you read some of my blog posts from 2008-2009, you'll see me struggling with the weight issue.  All that hard work, and ...well, let's just call it a "learning experience". Well, last winter, I had another health issue.  Seemed like everyone in my contacts list had the same first name: doctor.  And all of my new best friends told me the same thing: lose weight. So, on March 15, 2015 I reactivated my Weight Watchers membership and bought ...

There was a time, not too long ago, where boys calculated the value of pi and girls baked pies. I'm glad those days are over.  Npw anyone can use a pie to demonstrate the value of pi.

couldn't waste the nice weather, had to go for a walk.

So, this non-athlete is really enjoying Planet Fitness. I guess it's because I go at my own pace, compete only with myself. Taking a class with others doesn't seem to work for me, I can't always keep up, and I get frustrated. I joined at the beginning of February, fully intending to do both cardio and strength training. Cardio is easy, I have a preference for the treadmill. But strength training...the machines were intimidating. Very different from the machines we used in high school (when dinosaurs walked the Earth), and the ones at the gym in Soho (I was a member for a short time in the 80's). Back in the days when I was a member of the Jewish Community Center I used the pool and the indoor track, but never ventured into the weight or cardio rooms -- too intimidated. But times change. So I met with the trainer, and we came up with a program. Which I never implemented, because life got a bit crazy around that time. I kept up with the cardio, both at my...

Drew returned to work this week, but he's finding it difficult -- he's still recovering from the surgery, and all the workday activity is leaving him exhausted. He's counting down to Easter -- a very short break this year, because Easter is at the end of March and Passover is at the end of April. (The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, and every few years we add an extra month to make sure the holidays stay in the correct season.) In fact, taking advantage of the gap between Easter and Passover ....my synagogue's annual Passover wine tasting event will be on Easter Sunday.  It's a great event, the wine merchant brings a lot of samples, and people can place their orders.  The synagogue makes a little money off the sales.  My job is to provide the cheese, crackers, hummus, etc.  If you add food, it becomes a social event. This weekend brings another sign of spring -- Daylight Savings Time.  We "spring forward".  Which means that next week sunset will b...

Sanders took Michigan. I'm stunned.

There was a 4th TV cult classic born in 1966.  The campy, corny, celebrity-studded Batman. Batman existed in the comics long before 1966, and has been rebooted and resurrected many times since. But not the way we saw it in 1966.  In color, twice a week, in our living rooms.  I was 6 years old, young enough to take the show seriously, too young to understand the humor.  My best friend and her older brother would come to my house to watch the show, they didn't have a color TV.  We'd play at being Batman and Robin and all those interesting villains. I haven't heard of any Batman anniversary events, no conventions like you'd find with Star Trek and Dark Shadows .  I think Batman fans tend to focus on the newer incarnations ....

I'm a New Yorker, I first voted for Hillary when she ran for the Senate in 2000.  I was so disappointed for her  in 2008, when Obama took the nomination. But 2016 is her year. Don't get me wrong, I like Bernie.  He's got some very interesting ideas.  And when he stood on that stage in Flint and said that being Jewish was an important part of who he is, I felt proud. But I can do math.  Hillary is likely to win today's primary in Michigan.  And with Florida, Ohio and Illinois coming up ...well, even if he's not mathematically eliminated, Bernie is effectively done. And with chaos ruling the Republican party.... I think we will see Hillary in the White House, with Democrats controlling the Senate, and maybe even the House. 

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Star Trek is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. A show that had a mediocre 3-year run starting in 1966, that died a slow ratings death, was somehow resurrected by the fans and eventually spawned a cartoon series, three sequels and a prequel, numerous movies with the original casts and a successful reboot.  Star Trek: Beyond is coming to theaters in July, it should be exciting.  You know who will be first on line at the IMAX for that movie! More excitement comes in September, with Star Trek: Mission New York at the Javits Center.  It's being produced by the Comic-Con people, so it should be really well done.  It's fitting that the convention will be in NYC, since the very first Star Trek convention took place here in 1972 at the Statler Hotel.  I remember going to the conventions at the Statler in the late 1970's.  We haven't started planning for this one yet, I'm not sure if we'll d...

Recognize those lyrics? Another iconic TV show is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. A band created for a TV show.  The "prefab four". Yes, I'm talking about The Monkees.  A fabricated band that became a real band, that defied its teenybopper roots and created some really great music. The Monkees.  Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith.  Drew tells me that I saw a concert at Jones Beach in the 80's where all four members of the band were present.  I really don't remember that concert.  I do remember many concerts with Mickey, Davy and Peter.  And one tour, after Davy died, when Mike joined the other surviving members of the band.    And last year, just Mickey and Peter. Mickey and Peter are touring again this year. We have tickets for the June 1 concert.

Before there was "Harry Potter", before there was "Twilight", before there was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", there was "Dark Shadows". The Gothic soap opera premiered 50 years ago. It was not particularly successful at first, but with the introduction of vampire Barnabas Collins ... Five afternoons a week, viewers were intrigued by vampires, ghosts, witches, time travel, mixed in with soap opera story lines. Scary and unintentionally campy at times, it became a cult classic. Two movies, "House of Dark Shadows" and "Night of Dark Shadows", proved popular as well. Efforts to reboot the series, on TV in 1991, and more recently in a movie starring Johnny Depp, were unsuccessful. But the original series remains popular. And the show's fans gather for conventions, to hear the show's cast reminisce, to buy DVD's and memorabilia, etc. Drew really loves the show, and over the years we have gone to several "Dark S...

Last night I felt like I'd stepped back into the past by about 20 years. I've posted before about modern Judaism, how, with the exception of the Orthodox movements, synagogues have become egalitarian.  How women are counted in the minyan , how our sons and daughters get the same religious education with the same expectations, how women have become clergy, and personal issues, like how I made the decision to start wearing a tallit , how I took my friend to my synagogue because she couldn't say Kaddish for her mother in her own Orthodox shul . Last night, I had to pay a shiva call.  A good friend's brother-in-law passed away.   The family belongs to a large Conservative synagogue.   It is customary, when a family is sitting shiva , that the synagogue members come to the house of mourning each night to say prayers.  A minyan -- a quorum of 10 adults -- is required.  When I arrived last night, I told my friend's mother that I one of the rea...

I'm really enjoying my membership.  So far I've only done cardio, but I'm looking to add weight training into the program.  I find that I'm pushing myself harder on the treadmill than I do when I just take  walk. But what I'm really enjoying...the massage chairs.  10 minutes of tension-releasing, soreness-relieving bliss.

No, not a basketball post. The weather. Warm and spring like, as if it were the beginning of April.  then cold and wintry.  And back again. The spring equinox is March 20, astronomically spring begins that day.  But meteorologists say spring begins on March 1, and this year it feels like they're right.

And tonight I will be home, watching election returns. By this time tomorrow, Hillary will most likely have effectively captured the party's nomination.  Realistically it will be over by the middle of the month. It will soon be time to focus on the general election. In the meantime, we'll still be watching the Republicans rip themselves apart. Interesting time, indeed.